FLIGHT ATTENDANT WELL-BEING STUDY

For CSAP’s Division of Workplace Programs, DSG conducted the Flight Attendant Well-Being Study, a nationwide examination of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 (9/11), tragedy on 54,000 flight attendants.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

This web-based study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather data on social support systems before and after 9/11, worksite conditions, attitudes about the job, experience of trauma, coping patterns, and changes in risk behavior—particularly related to substance abuse and mental health.

The research was the first-ever attempt to assess health issues of flight attendants as an occupational group and was a joint effort involving DSG, the AFA/AFL–CIO, Kaiser–Permanente, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). As part of this work, DSG conducted 12 focus groups with 57 flight attendants in the nation’s largest flight attendant union. These focus groups provided a deeper understanding of the mental health, substance use, and workplace impacts of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on this occupational group.